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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Ms. Diane Martakis

My love for aviation started when I was 6 or 7 years' old. From that time on all my school books had airplanes illustrated on the covers and in my notes with everything from the Wright Flyer to F-86 Sabres. I started making scrap books from newspaper clippings, magazines and created a folder for my own aircraft company. I built rockets and hand controlled flying models throughout my youth. My childhood hero's were people like (Pappy Boyington, Scott Crossfield and the greatest pilot ever to take to the sky Chuck Yeager. I read all I could at the time, and of course all my school book reports were about flying.

I attended East New York Vocational and Technical High School majoring in Aviation studies and had the distinction of speaking before the school assembly and being chosen to accept the first FAA certification for our school before an audience of dignitaries and classmates.

Upon graduation I went to work as an airframe mechanic and eventually a quality control inspector at Republic Aviation in Farmingdale NY. There I helped buildT-105 Thunder chiefs. I was assigned to help built the first 97 F-4 Phantom tail sections that were subcontracted to Republic from McDonald Aircraft. I also had the Privilege to do Modifications on the F-105 Thunderbirds that flew for 7 months in the 1960's. After company wide layoffs I was offered a relocation opportunity to Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach California where I helped build DC-8's and DC-9's.

Upon being drafted into the US Army I was offered the opportunity to go to Jump School. I signed on immediately. After completing Jump School at Fort Benning Georgia, I was assigned to the 82ndAirborne Division 2/505 at Fort Bragg North Carolina. I served with the First Air Calvary 2/5 in An Khe Viet Nam. After the military I continued to do some sport parachuting and free falling, I took some flying lessons, flew Ultra lights, did some hang gliding and generally stayed in love with planes and flying. I have more than once visited the Air Force Museum in Dayton Ohio, Air and Space in Washington DC, Cradle of Aviation in Long Island NY and most recently the Air and Space Museum near Dulles Airport. I continue to read about planes and space every day and attend air shows whenever I can. I have every copy of Air and Space magazine and love to read all I can about aviation. I look to the sky every time a plane goes over. If it gets off the ground, then I want to know about it.

It would be my Honor to be a contributor to the National Air and Space Museum.